Moon Cycle Pissiness and a Soothing Fire
by aotiger13
Summary: A.K.A. Zutara Week 2013. Yay! I love Zutara week! This is the year I'll (hopefully) finish all my entries on time. Just short snippets, one story written a day, 500-1000 words. Takes place during their time at the Western Air Temple, which I'm pretending is a week. Also happens to be a *certain* week for Katara. Hope you enjoy!
1. Calor

_Ugh, it's only just sunrise, I've only just started breakfast, and I'm already covered in sweat. Curse this nation's weather! Actually, let's just curse this entire nation! I hate it here! I miss the ice and snow back home. This? No. There is way too much heat here, it's sticky, it's disgusting, and I feel like crap this week! For the love of La, why did the spirits curse all girls this way? Stupid female crap and moon cycles and-_

"Um, Katara?" came a deep, raspy voice. Katara stopped mid-rant and whirled around to face the newest addition to the Gaang, as of the previous day. Her face morphed into a sneer of disdain.

"What do you want?" she snarled at him. Zuko hesitated, debating with himself.

"Uh," he scratched the back of his neck nervously and she started tapping her foot in impatience, "you were talking to yourself, I wanted to know if you were okay…?" It was said as a question, which only pissed her off more.

"Of course I'm *ok*," she used air quotes here. "Why wouldn't I be ok? What did you do? Did you use your Fire Nation wiles to set a trap for me here? Or maybe you're thinking since we're the only ones up, you'd catch me off guard with a sneak attack?" She started walking forward, pointing her wooden spoon at his chest, and talking louder with each word. He held up his hands in surrender. "Well, I've got news for you, hot shot: if you even think about trying something, say goodbye to your two best friends!" At that last bit, she gestured south with her spoon and he flinched, taking a step back.

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but at that precise moment, Aang walked, yawning, into the kitchen area. At the sight of her, Aang immediately perked up, "Hi Katara! Zuko woke me up early for my first firebending practice," at his name, Katara glared at him again. "Why are you up so early?" Aang asked in that adorably curious way he does that usually calms Katara down, but not this week. Instead, it only added to her current irritation.

"Well, Aang," she started huffily, "I WAS making breakfast, but then somebody," she glared pointedly at Zuko yet again, "interrupted me." Her free hand rested firmly on her hip and her spoon was again leveled at Zuko. "Even in the early morning, I can't get even a bit of peace and quiet, oh no. Some damn firebender always has to come and ruin my day no matter how happy I try to be. So thank you very much, fire boy, for shattering my hope for a cool, quiet morning by reminding me of the stupid heat of this stupid nation by stupidly asking if I'm ok, WHEN I'M OBVIOUSLY FINE!"

Both guys were stunned at her long, and eventually loud rant. Silence rang as Katara caught her breath, flicking her gaze back and forth between the boys. Aang silently slipped out, avoiding Katara's eyes and murmuring to Zuko he would be in the courtyard. Zuko mutely nodded, but made no move to follow him, choosing instead to keep eye contact with the enraged waterbender.

"I told you before, Katara," she slightly winced at her name, "I'm not your enemy anymore. I'm here to teach the Avatar firebending, not to hurt any of you."

"Yeah, you already did that back in Ba Sing Se, didn't you?" she venomously countered. Of course, being Mr.-Prince-hot-tempered-Zuko, her comment sparked his retaliation.

His nose scrunched in recurring anger, he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I already apologized for that! I know I made a mistake, why do you think I'm here?"

"You're here to rub the fact that we're stuck here in the humid, hot Fire Nation, home to the worst people to ever be alive, your father and sister included! In fact, they're probably the worst people in the history of the world! Your family sucks, you know that? They're the most horrible-"

He tried to stop himself, but his anger made him speak without thought. "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? Both my father and sister hate me! I'm a traitor to my own nation! My family, other than my uncle, is vicious and cruel! My father punished me by forcefully burning my face, Katara! Don't lecture me about my past, you know nothing about me." He pointed to himself, turned on his heel, and stormed out with a puff of smoke.

Katara stood staring at the door for a moment, before she felt the familiar prickle behind her eyes that signaled tears. She turned back to the temple's kitchen counter beside the stove and braced herself on it, letting the tears fall. After a moment, her anger returned and her tears slowed. She furiously wiped the tears and the morning's sweat off her cheeks and returned to breakfast. _Stupid Mother Nature and her heat._


	2. Euphoria

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything in this story, just the plot idea!

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_Sometimes I still don't understand that waterbender. I mean, yesterday, I just asked her if she was okay and she blew up like a firebender! It's just so frustrating talking to her! So I avoided her all day yesterday. I've decided to focus on teaching Aang, and if Katara comes by, I'll let her talk first. I'm not going to instigate something with her. If I did, I'd only be proving her point that I haven't changed, and I'm trying to be a good person, which I'm very bad at, but I'm not going to give up. Argh! She's just so, grrrrrr…_

Katara took one glance at Zuko, glared daggers at him, and stormed off to her bedroom. This action from her brought up memories of the previous day and what information he revealed to her, and also rekindled the anger at himself for being so stupid. So, like the day before, Zuko's fire today was hot and intense and ferocious.

Zuko's powerful fire blasts are the only sounds that came from the courtyard in the mid-morning of Zuko's second full day as part of Team Avatar. Aang watched from the sidelines as his sifu demonstrated a fierce blast for him, which was powered by his rekindled frustration with a certain Water Tribe teenager. Aang was still lacking in the actual production of fire—in fact, he hadn't produced even a candle-sized flame. So Zuko was frustrated on twp fronts, and with each new punch and kick his fire grew more wild and insane. At some point his fire blasts changed from a controlled demonstration to a great big fiery tantrum to release his frustration and excess energy. After a long while, Zuko stoped and collapseed in a heap near the fountain in exhaustion, where he sat until someone spoke up from the bedroom hallway.

"Aang's gone. Too tough to be a teacher? Wore yourself out did you?" she sneered derisively.

Without turning to her, he replied sarcastically, "Well, sor-ry. I didn't know you worried about my well-being."

"Oh, well excuse me. I was just returning the favor, hotman," she retaliated with withering sarcasm. He finally turned to her and saw her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed a bit as if she were trying to solve some puzzle.

His good eyebrow lowered in a similar expression. "Katara?" he gently prodded.

She looked up, all hostility forgotten, "Huh?"

Sitting up, he braced himself for a repeat of yesterday, and said, "Uh, you alright?"

Her puzzled look was back, "Yeah, fine." Then she stared at him with that adorable confused face. A corner of his mouth lifted up in a smirk and he chuckled once at the lack of venom coming from her at that moment. Unconsciously, the corners of her lips lifted too, and he experienced a moment of excitement at keeping her happy with him. Part of him was stunned that she even allowed herself a little smile at him that his chest swelled with a different kind of fire. He made her smile! Yay! His smirk grew to a smile at the euphoria of this sweet moment of peace between them.

But, of course, she immediately snapped out of it when an impatient young voice yelled from her bedroom, "SPARKY! WHERE ARE YOU? I DEMAND A RIDE! AND BREAKFAST!" Zuko's smile vanished at that and he inwardly groaned. He shut his eyes, pinched his nose, and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, he only glimpsed the back of Katara's retreating head. He heaved himself up and headed to give his true little sister her piggyback rides as his payment for accidently burning her feet. He stood up and retrieved his shirt.

"Coming, Toph!" He shouted back. _Stupid honor-bound rides ruining Katara's smile._

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I hope you enjoyed! Review, please? I'm writing and editing and publishing all in the same day, so reviews make me smile and motivate me! Thanks :)


	3. Voices

Hey everyone! Sorry this one's so late at night, my mom was nagging me to work on college stuff. But here it is! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I own only the plot! Some lines are taken from the episode "The Western Air Temple" and some from the first chapter of this story.

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_Ugh, Spirits! Stupid moon cycles! I can't even take this! I feel like a komodo rhino is churning my stomach with his horns and then trampling over my head. I woke up with it; I cooked breakfast, and found I wasn't hungry. I was to go lie down and take a nap. Just before I came to my room, Aang and Zuko said they were leaving for some firebending quest or something, I don't know. Apparently after that weird moment between us yesterday, Zuko's fire "wouldn't bend" as Sokka called it. Yeah, right. He's probably just scared of me and he needs to regain his honor somewhere; whatever. I don't understand his obsession with honor. I threatened Zuko again after breakfast and made sure to tell Aang to be careful. You never know if that firebender will try anything sneaky! Ugh, my headache is getting worse. I'm taking that nap._

Katara finally closed her eyes and closed off her mind from such rants. She was feeling especially crappy today and she had been ranting for a while. She rolled onto her side and hugged her legs in the fetal position. She let out a moan of pain at her stomachache and finally settled down. Katara was finally drifting off to her nap when a nagging voice in her head spoke up.

**Hi, Zuko here.**

Her eyes shot open and she spun around to the door of her room. Her eyes flicked left and right, but there was no sign of Zuko anywhere in her room. She stopped moving and listened intently to the sounds of the Western Air Temple. She heard the rolling of Teo's wheelchair and a metallic clanging that she assumed was Sokka's space sword. She heard Toph yelling "NO, HARU", but no sign of Aang or Zuko anywhere.

_I thought I heard Zuko's voice… But… I guess it was my imagination. _

Katara laid back down and tried to fall asleep again. "That was weird," she mumbled to herself.

**Uh, you were talking to yourself; I wanted to know if you were okay…?**

This time, Zuko's face flashed before her closed eyelids. She whipped around, jumped out of bed, and started to say, "I'M Fine…" before she trailed off. Again, there was no Zuko in her room.

_What's wrong with me? My stupid brain is playing tricks on me this week! Stupid brain! Go to sleep!_

Katara was slightly frustrated now, because random Zuko voices were interrupting her attempt at napping. For the third time, she fell back to her bed. She rolled over again and tried to wipe her mind clean for her nap. She drifted into that in-between stage of sleep and wakefulness. She was finally calm and so close to sleep, when one image floated through her head.

**I told you before, Katara, I'm not your enemy anymore. **

_That's from two days ago in the kitchen. He did sound sincere…_

However, once she allowed herself that concession, more and more images floated through her head, faster and faster.

**Look, I admit I've done some awful things. **

**And I'm sorry I attacked the Water Tribe. **

**I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore. **

**I've done some good things. **

**I've been through a lot in the past few years.**

**I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it ****to me. **

**Both my father and sister hate me!**

She started tossing and turning. She knew exactly where this was going.

_No! I don't want to see this part!_

**I'm a traitor to my own nation! **

**My family, other than my uncle, is vicious and cruel! **

**My father punished me by forcefully burning my face, Katara! **

She jerked awake with a gasp and shot upright in bed. Katara sat there almost hyperventilating for a moment. She couldn't get the hurt expression on his face out of her head, or the sound of his voice as she made him angry. She put her head in her hands, and she decided a nap wasn't going to happen. She grumpily got out of bed and headed out to the courtyard, to the same spot where Zuko almost smiled at her.

_At least his voice from yesterday won't haunt me too._

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Thanks for reading! Review please? That would be fantastic! Just let me know how I'm doing, writing these chapters so late at night. See you guys tomorrow!


	4. Gravity

Technically, it's not yet midnight, even if you guys don't see this 'til after midnight... It's 11:56! I consider this on-time. Enjoy!

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_I finally understand the meaning of firebending. It felt exhilarating to rise with the sun today, with my new drive. The masters taught us that fire could be beautiful. I never knew that fire was life, but now that I know, I can feel it burning inside me with even more power, like it's a living thing inside me. It's just like my uncle used to say, firebending comes from inside and can keep you alive. I miss him. He kept me from getting myself killed doing "stupid firebender things" as Katara calls it. Katara. Spirits, she's got such intense mood swings, and each one is crazier than my sister, which is saying something. I don't know what's her problem these past couple days. I mean, she's always been a loudmouth, and bossy as all get out, but I've never seen her so nuts, even when I was chasing the Avatar. That was back when I used rage to ground me. Now, I use what the masters taught me: fire is beauty. I just have to find something beautiful to ground my firebending. _

Zuko was meditating after sundown on the day after he and Aang returned from their quest. He had been trying to find a new drive for a while, but nothing struck him as beautiful. His firebending still wasn't as powerful as it could be, he could feel it inside him, waiting to get traction to finally set itself free. His inner fire needed something to connect it to the physical world so he could set it free. It needed beauty: real, physical beauty that he could constantly think about to give him the gravity he needed to let go of his prior method of bending and embrace the master's way.

As he slowly came out of his meditation, he noticed that he didn't hear any earthbending or the loud voices of the younger members of the group. Zuko opened his eyes and turned away from the edge of the temple to find everyone but the two Water Tribe members were missing from the dying fire. Zuko rose to his feet, grabbed his previously discarded tunic, and walked to join Sokka and Katara around the fire pit. When he arrived, he sat across from the two of them and added a little but more juice to the dying fire. With the increased amount of light, he saw that Sokka was starting to nod off on his Boomerang. As they sat there in silence, Zuko noticed Katara was alternating between scowling at him, scowling at the fire, and scowling at her snoring brother.

Katara reached over and shook Sokka gently, "Sokka. Sokka!"

He woke up groggily, hefting his Boomerang sloppily. "Geh aweh froh meh, yeh crazeh opossuh-chickeh!"

"Sokka, you're exhausted. Go brush your teeth and go to bed." He gave her a confused look. "Now, Mister!"

He hoisted himself up and mumbled, "Yes, mom." She glared daggers at him, but said nothing and only pointed toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Throughout this entire exchange, Zuko's face sported a look of awed amusement at the love between siblings that he had never had. But then he looked at Katara, who had gone back to staring into the fire. The flames played with the planes of her face, and Zuko stared, mesmerized. The flames danced in her blue eyes and looked like they were waging war with her inner water. It captivated him, that molding of both elements in her big, beautiful eyes.

Zuko's eyes widened then. He had found his gravity in her eyes. He could feel the fire inside him again, even though the sun was down. It was then that Zuko truly understood fire in the way the masters did. He smiled to himself in triumph and newfound resolve. He would finally be able to teach the Avatar firebending, and fulfill his destiny in the world, all because of the flickering flames he saw dancing in her eyes.

He hadn't realized he was still staring at Katara until she said, "What are you smiling at, flameboy?" She crossed her arm and stared him down. Zuko's face heated at having being caught musing and he switched his gaze to the fire.

"Nothing," he whispered.

_I finally found my gravity. Fire is life, fire is beauty._

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Thanks for reading. Review please? I might write the next chapter sooner in the day tomorrow if I get a review...


	5. Bound

So, I had a little trouble coming up with this one. I hope it's not too bad and you still enjoy it! *nervous face*

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_Stupid mind stupidly playing tricks on me! And what was with the fire yesterday? Stupid firebenders and their stupidness! Zuko has been acting really weird these past few days, and it's aggravating me to no end! I mean, I barely insulted him at all the past couple of days, it's like I've forgotten he's Fire Nation! Ugh, how could I do that? That's like betraying my own people, who were terrorized by the Fire Nation since the war began! I can't believe I almost fell prey to the… the… wiles of a firebender, ugh! From now on, I will not fall prey to him ever again! I'm going to create a new boundary between us. _

With her new resolve, Katara fully focused on the laundry she was currently washing. Most of it was Sokka's, of course (the most stinky and sloppy member of their group). She used her waterbending in the courtyard fountain to wash the clothes. It was around lunchtime, and Zuko and Aang were still firebending over near the edge of the Air Temple. The two were bathed in sunlight so they could draw power right from the sun, whereas Katara was in the shade of the overhang, focused on washing. Actually, truthfully, she still wasn't really fully focused on washing because part of her attention was devoted to watching the two boys—to make sure Aang was all right.

She had convinced herself (again) that it was only a matter of time, but Zuko was bound to mess up and hurt Aang. Part of her, that little annoying voice in the back of her head kept insisting a counterpoint to her earlier boundary decision, which resulted in an internal conflict.

_**Zuko's changed! He's not as horrible as his father or sister, don't you remember what he said in the kitchen that first morning? There's a more to him than you think! Don't bind him to the rest of the Fire Nation in one giant generalization! That's exactly the kind of attitude that begets war! **_

_Shut up! I have to separate myself from that mentality! Firebenders never change. They're horrible, wretched monsters that deserve to burn in their own flames!_

_**Ooh, do I sense the lingering afterimages of that argument in the kitchen? Reminiscent of Zuko's scar, perhaps?**_

_No! I… Well…_

Katara looked up from her washing and openly gazed at the two current firebenders. She was curious about Zuko's scar (she was a nosy person by nature after all), especially after he said his father burned him on purpose… As she watched him, shadows played across his face as he bounded toward Aang with flaming fists. He had a look of absolute calm concentration on his face as he shot a blast at Aang. She watched Aang spin in the air to dodge Zuko's fire, which prompted Zuko to yell at Aang about how 'they were only using fire right now!' His face was all scrunched up in anger, and it reminded Katara of how he used to look when firebending back when he was chasing them: he looked constantly angry and not at all in complete control like he was now.

As Aang and Zuko resumed fighting stances, Zuko's face became filled with concentration again, and Katara realized that he was not completely bound by his anger anymore.

_Maybe he has changed. Just… maybe._

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Reviews would be super helpful for this chapter! Please?

Gah! I'm just not sure how I feel about this one. It's not my best work at all. :( Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more luck writing-wise. Until then, thanks for reading!


	6. Soothe

Yay! An early update! Enjoy and perhaps review? :P

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_I'm still pissed off at myself that I let slip the origin of my scar to Katara. I think it's the reason behind those weird faraway looks she's been giving me before her face snaps back to anger/general pissiness. I mean, what is it with her mood swings this week? I swear all this jerking back and forth is going to sprain my brain or something. First she's angry, then she's sympathetic, then pissed, then confused, then contemplative, then angry again, then worried, then pissed off again! It's like she's never happy since I got here, which, I don't understand how it's my fault! I think since I got here, I've apologized an innumerable number of times, but I can't seem to quell her anger! She's just so frustrating!_

Aang was currently earthbending with Toph and Haru one temple over, so Zuko was left alone to practice his firebending forms in the courtyard. He had started his solo bending right after lunch, which was when Aang had left with Toph. Now it was almost dinnertime, and Zuko finally decided to stop his constant bending and rest. Once he stopped, he noticed the considerable silence in this temple. He briefly wondered where everyone else was before he remembered The Duke and Teo had gone to watch the earthbending. He puzzled over the lack of Water Tribe residents until he heard a clanking coming from the kitchen. He toweled off, walked to the kitchen, and saw only Katara standing at the stove cooking dinner. She was muttering to herself again, but Zuko didn't dare ask her if she was 'okay' again. He didn't want a repeat of his first day. After all, he was trying to dissipate Katara's anger at him in general.

Instead, Zuko asked, "Where's your brother? Shouldn't he be helping with dinner?"

She froze for a second before slowly resuming her work. "I don't know where Sokka is. Actually, I'm a little worried for him right now," Katara answered softly. She sounded more than a little worried and also a bit downtrodden, which led Zuko to believe she really needed someone to talk to, even if it was he. Zuko took her lack of yelling or snapping as a good sign and approached her cautiously until he reached the counter.

"Why? Is something wrong?" He asked just as softly as she had answered him. In fact, his voice held a note of concern for the nonbending youth, as Zuko held a soft spot for Sokka's raw talent with a sword.

"I'm sure it's nothing, but…" She paused, and he waited, leaning on the counter. She sighed in resignation, "He's been really down today, and he hasn't told a joke all day. He just sat around thinking all day." Zuko had noticed this. After lunch, when he and Sokka usually sparred sword-on-sword, Sokka had declined in a very un-Sokka-like way, which had led to Zuko's solo bending. Zuko had been concerned but had left Sokka to his thoughts, thinking it was some Water Tribe thing and Sokka would be fine by dinner. He was drawn out of his thoughts when Katara spoke again, "I think, it might be because it's dad's birthday today, and we have no idea where he is, or if he's even still alive." Katara had stopped what she was doing and was just standing, holding a hand to her necklace.

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the floor, "It's the same with my Uncle." Katara's head shot up, but Zuko's eyes remained on the floor. "On the day of the eclipse, I went to apologize and break him out of prison, but, when I got there, he was already gone. I have no idea where he is, or how he broke out so quickly. He must have hated me so much, that he couldn't even bear to look at me." He turned his head away from her.

Suddenly, he felt her hand on his shoulder, and he whipped his head around and looked at her straight in the eye. He was stunned; this was the first time she had willingly touched him since he arrived. "Zuko, he can't hate you. He's your Uncle. He must have loved you a lot to put up with your attitude and temper back when you had a ponytail." He softly smiled at her comforting gesture, and she went back to preparing dinner.

As he watched her frown to herself, he was amazed. She hadn't gotten angry with him once, instead, she had worried over him, just as she did with everyone else, even if it was for a brief moment.

_Uncle was the only one who ever worried about me, while everyone left me on my own. Her concern for me was… soothing._

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Aww, how sweet! It was actually difficult keeping them in character for this one. I had the urge to go all mushy gushy, but came up with this instead, and I'm glad I did, because mushy gushy really wouldn't have fit here. But let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading the penultimate chapter! Last one tomorrow, can't wait!


	7. Spark

Last day of Zutara Week, aww! I hope I did it justice and did something different than everyone else, but that's still enjoyable!

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_There's no way I can be mad at Zuko today. He and Sokka just came back in this crazy-big airship with some guy named Chit Sang, Suki, and MY DAD! I'm feeling really, really, insanely happy! Nothing, not even the firenation red they're all wearing can't ruin my mood! Now I know why Sokka was thinking all the time: he was planning on freeing dad! Dare I say it, I'm glad I talked to Zuko when I was worried. Talking to someone who actually listens was really nice, for a change. But I feel bad about his Uncle. The look on Zuko's face was sadder than Sokka's face two days ago, which is saying something. Even though he's a firebender… I just can't turn my back on people who need me. _

After everyone but she and a certain firebender had gone to bed, Katara started to seek him out. She figured he would be by the fire, and she was right. It was where he had gone after he and Aang had returned from their "meaning of fire" quest, and Zuko was clearly a creature of habit (he rose with the sun EVERY MORNING, for crying out loud!). He was just sitting there, staring at the dying fire just like the other night. In fact, the fire was just barely alight, and looked more like hot coals than a blaze. She sat where Aang usually sat, which was next to Toph, which was next to Zuko, because sitting next to him would be too weird, and sitting across from him was too far away if it was just the two of them awake.

Katara stared at the fire too for a moment, but it kept dying, until she could only see Zuko's black outline against the moonlit sky. She knew that he knew she was there, because his eyes had flicked up to hers for a brief second when she had sat down, but since then, he hadn't moved.

Suddenly, a small flame came to life in Zuko's palm, and it provided the only light in the courtyard. It was in his right hand, and only illuminated the scarred side of his face. The shadows played across the planes of his face, and Katara's eyes softened in sympathy as she traced the outline of the scar with her eyes. She knew that a scar like that must have hurt to the point of torture, but her curiosity about its origin still existed.

Then Zuko bent down and picked up some sticks near his feet that she hadn't seen in the darkness. He held one up to his flame and it immediately burst into a bright gold flowering shape. Katara jumped back at its brightness and its tiny finger-like tendrils that shot out sideways. Zuko's entire face was illuminated; actually, a great big circle around them was lit up, almost like the stick had a tiny shooting star on the end of it.

He chuckled once and she put her hands on her hips in indignation. "Sorry, but, it's nothing to be afraid of."

"Who said I was afraid?" Zuko looked panicked at this, but Katara didn't have the energy to argue with him, so she let it go. Instead, she let a look of wonder cross her face as she gazed at the little shooting star and asked, pointing at it, "What is that?"

"Uh, it's called a Spark Sprouter, because it shoots out sparks. They're used at Fire Nation festivals and celebrations. All the kids run around writing in the air with them. You've really never seen one before?"

"No. We've ever only been to one Fire Nation festival, and I don't remember ever seeing those there." Katara watched it burn down and shoot sparks out like a flower. Zuko picked up another one and lit it off the first, offering it to Katara. She scooted closer and accepted it, careful not to let her fingers get too close. She smiled as she watched, mesmerized by her tiny shooting star. She glanced at Zuko, looked back at her Spark Sprouter and giggled, reaching out her finger to it. A spark hit her finger, bit it didn't burn her at all. It only felt like the tiniest pinprick. "I definitely prefer these to real fire. They don't hurt at all and they're really pretty."

"Yeah. They are." She turned to look at him, and he was already looking at her. He turned away with a sheepish look and instead drew a squiggle in the air with his Spark Sprouter. She reciprocated by drawing a fish with hers, and a battle of shapes began, and continued until both of the Spark Sprouters were burned out. Zuko's hand lit up again and he said, "Want a light for the way back to your room?"

"Yeah, sure." They walked down the hall in silence, and at her door, they smiled at each other one more time before he turned and kept walking to his room. She waited until his flame disappeared before she laid down.

_I still don't like fire, but sparks are pretty cool. I could do with more sparks in my life._

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And you may interpret that last line any way you like. ;)

Thanks so much for everybody that's read, favorited, followed, or reviewed! Thank you! Please let me know how I did this week, as this is my first completed story on here, so feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

P.S. I was going for modern-day Sparklers, in case anyone was curious.


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